The present invention relates to chicken coops and more particularly to chicken coops in which chickens, the eggs of which are destined for hatching or consuming, are kept.
Especially, the invention relates to arrangements for automatically collecting laid eggs. In the known constructions for the said purpose there are usually provided individual cells, each of which is to be occupied by one hen. These cells have a slanting bottom so that a freshly laid egg rolls on the said bottom towards a conveyor band which transports the eggs to a collecting point.
There exists a number of requirements which are expected to be fulfilled by the installations of this kind, some important--but not exclusively these--are the following:
(a) to create conditions which cause the fowls to actively produce eggs at their maximal capacity, PA1 (b) to ensure that eggs are not sullied or contaminated and arrive absolutely clean at the collecting point, PA1 (c) to prevent breakage of eggs, PA1 (d) to force the hens to lay their eggs in the predestined location from which they would reach the conveyor, PA1 (e) to permit cleaning and/or disinfection of the constituents of the arrangement.
Many constructions are known which have been designed to meet the above mentioned requirements, but though meeting part, some of them do not fulfill all that is required.